The One Question That Will Help You Make Decisions Like a Founder
Prefer to listen rather than read? Listen to the podcast episode covering this same topic here → The Quietly Disruptive Business Podcast
In our last blog post, we explored the difference between making decisions as an employee and making them as a founder. If you looked at your last three decisions and felt a flicker of discomfort — a quiet recognition that employee mode might have been in the driver’s seat — then today’s blog post is for you. I’m going to share with you one question that works on any decision, whether it’s about a client, your marketing, your pricing, your direction, or how you structure your day. And the best part is how simple it is.
The Question: Is This Serving My Vision, or Am I Choosing It Because of a Fear?
That’s it. Two parts, one question, and it cuts through everything.
The first half — is this serving my vision for my business? — asks whether this decision moves you towards what you’re building or moves you sideways.
The second half — am I choosing it because of a fear? — peels back the layers to reveal what’s really driving the decision underneath.
Marketing is a brilliant place to test this. There’s so much noise about what you should be doing, so many shoulds and coulds and everyone-else-is-doing-its. This question slices through all of that like a hot knife through butter to get to what’s actually right for you.
Why Fears Don’t Always Look Like Fears
The thing about fears is that they rarely announce themselves. They prefer to dress up. Fear of rejection often shows up as a desire to be professional or to not appear rude. Fear of turning down money disguises itself as logic and practicalities — the calendar’s quiet, the money’s on the table, you could do the work with your eyes closed. Fear of missing out dresses up as productivity — filling every hour, saying yes to every meeting, keeping busy because busy feels safe.
When you’re in employee mode, these fears run the show without you realising it. You say yes to the wrong client because turning away money feels irresponsible. You agree to a coffee call with someone who isn’t the right fit because declining feels rude. You fill your diary with tasks because an empty space feels like you’re not doing enough. The fears are real, but they’re wearing costumes. This question strips those costumes away.
How It Works in Practice — A Real Scenario
Imagine you’re a brand strategist, two or three years into your business. It’s been a rollercoaster — feast and famine months — but you have a clear vision. You want to work with businesses that champion sustainability and protecting the environment. That’s who you are as a person. It’s the topic you could talk about for hours.
Then along comes a potential client. They’re lovely. They want brand strategy. They’ve agreed to your proposal, they’re willing to pay well, and you could do the project with your eyes closed. The catch? Their business provides AI implementation and integration — a well-known drain on environmental resources like water and energy. So you ask the question.
Is this serving my vision? No. This client, lovely as they are, moves you further from the work you actually want to be known for, not closer to it. Am I choosing it because of a fear? Yes. Fear of a quiet month. Fear of turning down money that’s already on the table. Fear of scarcity.
If employee mode were in the driver’s seat, you’d say yes. The fears would power the decision, dressed up as logic and professionalism. The project would land in your diary and it would feel justifiable. But when you channel the founder mindset and ask the question, you see the reality. This isn’t just about money in the bank. It’s about whether you’re willing to step away from your vision to quieten a fear, or whether you’re willing to face that fear and find something better to fill the space.
An Employee Accepts Without Question.
A Founder Questions and Finds a Better Way
That’s the difference, and it applies to every decision you face. The fictional brand strategist said no to the project. Instead, they took the initiative to go out networking in person, start conversations, and find the client who was genuinely the right fit. A founder mindset doesn’t just say no — it creates the space for something better to arrive.
So take this question with you into the week ahead. For every decision you face — and as founders we face hundreds — ask yourself: is this serving my vision for my business, or am I choosing it because of a fear? It won’t always give you comfortable answers, but it will give you clear ones. And clarity is what moves you forward rather than in circles.
About the Author: Becky Benfield Humberstone partners with Quietly Disruptive founders to build businesses that change their corner of the world, on their terms. If you started your business because you believed things could be done differently, and you're ready to make that vision real, she gets it. Based in the UK and working globally via Zoom and in person, she's done this work herself, more than once.
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